World

Rohingya crisis: Suu Kyi does not fear global 'scrutiny'

Tuesday 19/September/2017 - 12:10 PM

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said her government does not fear "international scrutiny" of its handling of the growing Rohingya crisis، according to "BBC".It was her first address to the country about the violence in northern Rakhine state that has seen more than 400،000 Rohingya Muslims cross into Bangladesh.Ms Suu Kyi has faced heavy criticism for her response to the crisis.But she said most Muslims had not fled the state and that violence had ceased.In her speech to Myanmar's parliament، Aung San Suu Kyi said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict، and that Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution… for all communities in this state".Ms Suu Kyi، who has decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week، said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government.What is the crisis about?Rakhine has faced unrest and sporadic violence for years، but the current crisis began in August with an armed attack on police posts which killed 12 people.That was blamed on a newly emerged militant group، the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa).The Rohingya are denied citizenship and equal opportunities by the Myanmar government، which says they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They are largely despised by the wider Burmese population.The attack lead to a massive security crackdown by the military، which the UN's human rights chief later said seemed like a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".Rohingya Muslims started leaving in vast numbers، crossing into Bangladesh with tales of their villages being burned and saying they were facing persecution at the hands of the military. Thousands of Rohingya had already fled to Bangladesh in recent years.Access is restricted to the area، but on a government-controlled trip for journalists the BBC found reason to question the official narrative that Muslims were setting fire to their own villages.